Who Knew?
by Bundibird
Summary: SONGFIC! How did Holly and Artemis cope after Artemis' mind was wiped? HollyArtemis. ONESHOT!


**Hi guys!**

**Yes, I have discovered Artemis Fowl. **

**Yes, I have discovered Artemis Fowl Fan Fiction. **

**Yes, I am a fan of Artemis/Holly FF's. **

**Yes I KNOW she's a fairy and he's a human…but I don't care. **

**Yes, I got an idea for a song fic, and yes I decided to make good on that thought.**

**And yes, I know it's a song fic. **

**Yes, I know I usually abhor song fics. But that currently doesn't matter.**

**Also, some of the things that 'were said' may not actually have 'been said,' but for the purposes of this FF…they have been. (Did that make sense?) Meh. Moving on. **

**And finally, NO, NONE of the following characters are mine, they all belong to one Eoin Colfer, and the song (Who knew) belongs to P!nk. (Who, by the way, totally ROCKS in concert!)**

**(Btw, I went through and fixed up any typos there were…so hopefully it's a bit better now. ;p)**

**So, now that my innocence has been assured, and none of you people can sue me/remove my profile, here is my story.**

**(Set after The Eternity Code, aka; after Artemis' mind was wiped.)**

**Who Knew?**

…

_You took my hand  
You showed me how  
You promised me you'd be around  
Uh huh  
That's right_

_I took your words  
And I believed  
In everything  
You said to me  
Yeah huh  
That's right_

Artemis Fowl woke up, the dream he had just had already slipping away. There had been a red headed girl in it, almost the same height as himself. She'd been so pretty that she could have passed for a fairy. They had…been fighting together…to save…something. He felt a…friendship with this girl…perhaps even more…

Her features, not long ago so clear in his mind, were melting away from his memory. He could only remember one thing. One of the last things this 'dream girl' had said to him. _"Don't worry Artemis. I'll always be around to watch your back. Even if you don't know it."_

And even that was fading.

It was not the first time Artemis had woken up having had a dream like this. They almost seemed like memories. Forgotten memories. And after these dreams, he always ended up feeling like he was missing someone. Someone he couldn't remember.

Everything had been so weird lately. A year or so earlier, Artemis had awoken, feeling rather confused. He could remember flashes of…something. It felt like he had had a dream, but only fragments that were too small and smoky to catch remained.

He had found in his eye a small glass contact lens type thing, but could not for the life of him work out what it was. He had inspected it closely, as all geniuses should when confronted by something unfamiliar, but it was not electronic in any way. When Juliet and Butler had discovered the same contraptions in their own eyes, Artemis grew only more confused.

But that wasn't the weirdest thing. Ever since the morning that the 'contact lenses' had turned up, Artemis found himself…almost unwilling to engage in criminal acts that could result in someone – not even himself, Juliet or Butler – getting hurt. And even though it had been a year since that morning, his feelings still hadn't changed.

Someone had told him that he had a spark of decency. And it seemed that they had been right, whoever 'they' had been.

He no longer wanted to exploit or manipulate other people to achieve his own means. Not if it meant that someone could get emotionally or physically hurt.

And not only that; Artemis was suddenly feeling the urge to…help people. And not necessarily for a profit either! He wanted to help people…out of the good of his own heart.

Somehow…overnight it seemed…Artemis had grown a conscience.

_If someone said three years from now  
You'd be long gone  
I'd stand up and punch them out  
Cause they're all wrong_

_I know better  
cause you said forever  
and ever  
who knew?_

Capitan Holly Short walked down the corridor to her office. As usual, Commander Root yelled out at her for her tardiness, but she didn't hear him.

She was thinking about the Mud Men.

Ok…One Mud Man in particular.

Alright…not even that. She was thinking of a Mud Boy. A fifteen year old Mud Boy.

Since that fateful night three years ago when Artemis and Butler had captured her, he had become a part of her life. If something went wrong…either he was behind it, or he was helping to try and stop it. And he was always there to contact if he was needed.

But not anymore. Not since his mind had been wiped of anything and everything relating to the People.

And no matter what she'd said to Foaly, she did miss him. And she knew she would. "_Will you miss him?" "No. I won't miss him."_

But she had lied. And Foaly could see it. He could see it then and he could see it now. The Commander may not have been able to, but Foaly could. He had seen how she was slowly losing that bright spark of life that made Holly Short all she was. How she was arriving at work later and later, as though it was getting hard for her to find the energy and will to get up each morning.

Holly was fading.

Foaly had brought it up with her one day, when it was just the two of them in the Ops Room. But nothing really came out of it except an upset and angry Holly and a confused Commander Root.

"_You miss him. Don't you?" _

_Holly had immediately gone on the defensive. "Who? Miss who? There's no one to miss."_

"_You know who I mean Holly."_

"_No I don't. You don't know what you're talking about! I don't miss anybody!"_

"_I can see it Holly."_

"_There's nothing to see!" _And she had stormed out.

She knew he knew. And that scared her. She thought maybe he'd ask her _why_ she missed Artemis.

And she didn't want to tell him.

No one could find out.

She didn't know that Foaly didn't need to ask why she missed him. He already knew the answer. He already knew that Holly was in love with the Mud Boy.

She had never believed that Artemis would have to be Mind Wiped. At least, after he'd helped save all of Haven from Opal Koboi and her goblin army. She had, for some reason, thought that he would always be there. But he couldn't be. The Council had made sure of that.

She had nearly hit her Commander when he'd announced that the humans were to me Mind Wiped. Only an extraordinary amount of self control had stopped her. Instead she had just walked away.

Sure, there had been talk of a Mind Wipe at the stat of the adventure, but she never thought that the 'threat' would be carried through.

She'd thought he'd be there, with her, for ever.

_Remember when we were such fools  
And so convinced and just too cool  
Oh no  
No no_

Artemis had just woken up from another memory dream (he was sure that was what they were).

He had been with that girl again. What was her name? It started with 'H.'

'Helen?' No. something else. Something prettier. His mind ran through all the names he knew that stared with 'H.'

'Holly'…that sounded familiar…

He had been laughing and joking with this Holly girl. They had been bantering about something. Something trivial.

To try and make him shut up, she'd thrown a bug at him. It had gotten caught in his hair.

He had screamed.

He screamed and panicked and Butler had come running. Upon seeing what it was that his charge was panicked about, Butler had rolled his eyes and turned back to what he'd been doing.

Artemis panicked some more. Eventually, 'Holly' had decided to take pity on him, and remove the lady bug from his hair.

He'd calmed down then.

And proceeded to throw some freshly mowed grass at her. A grass fight then ensued.

Artemis shook his head, pondering. Memory dreams, a good willed Artemis, and a grass fight with a girl?

Most un-Fowl-ish behaviour.

But…he had enjoyed that grass fight.

_I wish I could touch you again  
I wish I could still call you a friend  
I'd give anything_

_When someone said count your blessings now  
For they're long gone  
I guess I just didn't know how  
I was all wrong_

_They knew better  
Still you said forever  
And ever  
Who knew_

Holly stared at her computer screen without really seeing it. Foaly was watching her sadly, but she didn't notice.

It was this night three years ago that she had first met Artemis Fowl.

This night three years ago that someone had stepped into her life, never again to leave it. At least…never again to leave her memories.

She'd love to see him again. She knew she want meant to; the sight of a fairy could kick start his memory return. Especially the sight of _this_ fairy.

She couldn't go. She wouldn't risk her job.

But she just wanted something familiar. Not that Commander Root or Foaly or the rest of the LEP weren't familiar…she just wanted something familiar that pertained to him.

Getting up from her desk, she walked to a cupboard in the corner of the room. The cupboard was half hidden in shadows it was so rarely looked at. It was a cupboard that held the confiscated items that once belonged to the Mud People, but had posed a considerable threat to the fairy population.

It had Artemis' C-Cube in it.

She gently took it out of the cupboard and looked at it.

It brought back so many memories. Not only of their last adventure together, but of all the adventures she had had with Artemis Fowl.

A tear ran down her cheek.

What she would give to be able to see him again. To laugh at him. To laugh _with_ him. To throw bugs at him.

A quiet chocked sob/laugh escaped her lips at that thought. Artemis had the most amusing reactions to things out of anyone on, or under the planet. Point a gun at him and he'll raise a challenging eyebrow. Throw a bug at him and he nearly dies.

She remembered several conversations with him as though she'd had them yesterday. And still they evoked the same feelings as they had then.

"_You're enjoying this aren't you!" He had yelled out to her from the ditch he was hiding in. She had used her magic to throw snow ball after snow ball at him, and didn't stop them even when he was hiding in a ditch. She wouldn't stop until he waved the little white handkerchief he had in his pocket in surrender._

"_Oh yes Mud Boy." She had replied, smirking. "I'm enjoying this."_

And the other time:

"_You had better be appreciating my presence her Capitan Holly Short! Right now I could be sitting comfortably at home, writing another piece on psychology, drinking a nice strong cup pf tea whilst – "_

"_Shut up Mud Boy and get a move on."_

And then:

"_Are you always going to annoy me!?"_

"_Yes Holly. I will be here to annoy you for forever."_

She hadn't enjoyed every moment of their time together. And their time together had been limited.

And when he had said 'forever,' she had believed him.

She wished she could just reach out and touch him, right now. Even if it was just to punch him.

But she wouldn't risk the safety of the People.

The People needed the LEP.

And the LEP needed her.

_I'll keep you locked in my head  
Until we meet again  
And I won't forget you my friend  
What happened?_

Artemis was sitting in class, not listening to the teacher, as usual.

He already knew the entire French language front to back; he didn't need some stupid batty woman wearing too many shawls to tell him how to say "could you please pass the salt?".

The teacher had given all of her students a sheet of paper on which two people, a boy and a girl, were having a conversation. This was the main reason Artemis wasn't listening. The girl looked like Holly.

Her face had been getting clearer; easier to remember. And this girl on the page was reminding him of her again.

He had a sudden flash; a memory…

"_You'll always be here Hol" he had said, tapping his temple lightly. "Even a mind wipe won't get you out of my mind for good. I'll remember you. I promise."_

_She had smiled sadly, her eyes damp. She had been crying, but she wasn't now. "I wish it were so Artemis. I wish it were so."_

A Mind Wipe…he had never heard the term before, yet his brain had just produced it. And, for some reason, the term didn't sound so alien…

Pulling out a piece of paper, Artemis began to write down the things that had been happening since he, Butler and Juliet found the contact lenses.

Memory dreams – Holly, short red hair, packs a good punch

Sudden unexplained dislike of the colour orange

More frequently wandering mind, especially when I see a patch of heat distorted air or the term 'fairy' is mentioned

Butler's sudden old age

Sudden dislike of small spaces

Sudden dislike of opals

Large amounts of money in bank account, deposited by myself all at one time and no clear memory as to how it got there

The contact lenses

The term 'Mind Wipe'

The term 'Blue Rinse' and its unknown relation to a bomb

Juliet's sudden lack of enthusiasm for the body guarding business.

"Mr Fowl, are you listening?" The teacher's voice broke through Artemis' thinking.

He sighed irritably, before answering in perfect French: "No Madame, I was not listening, I was writing a very important list. And now, since you have interrupted my thought process, I will be forced to start the entire thing again, so that I can once again reach the point where I was when you so rudely interrupted me. Good day."

Artemis stood up, picked up his bag and his list, and walked out the door, heading for the library. Hopefully _there_ he could get the peace and quiet he needed.

_If someone said three years from now  
You'd be long gone  
I'd stand up and punch them out  
Cause they're all wrong_

_That last kiss  
I'll cherish  
Until we meet again_

Root had finally realised that something was bothering his one and only female LEP Officer, and had taken her aside earlier that day.

"_Holly, you've been acting rather…rather strange lately. Is everything alright?"_

"_Yes." She said shortly. "Why wouldn't it be?"_

"_Well…you've just been…you seem really upset all the time. And whenever anyone asks you if you're ok you yell at them."_

"_Maybe because I'm ok but everyone keeps asking me what's wrong!" She snapped, her temper rising._

"_You never used to be so volatile Holly. Ever since Artemis Fowl-"_

"_Could we leave him out of this please!? Why do you and Foaly insist on bringing him into every single conversation we have!?"_

_Commander Root was confused. Artemis Fowl was very rarely mentioned. But when ever he was, Holly's temper always flared furiously. "Ah…" He said, finally making a connection. "You miss Artemis don't you?"_

_Holly let out a yell of anger. "What IS IT with you and Foaly thinking I miss Artemis Fowl!? I don't! He's just a stinking little Mud Boy! And if he hadn't bloody stuck his nose in the Fairies lives, then we never would have known who he was, and I wouldn't HAVE to miss him would I!? Coz I wouldn't know him! It's all his fault! He messes with our lives once, so we think that its him the next time something goes wrong, but its not so he helps us fix it all, then he has to bloody go and create a machine that could destroy all of us so we have to Mind Wipe him, so then I can never talk to him again! I can't even see him! Why didn't he just leave us alone!?"_

_Commander Root smiled sadly at his young charge, and then pulled her into a comforting hug. At first she resisted, but then she relaxed and started crying softly into her Commander's jacket._

_Commander Root looked over Holly's head and smiled sadly at Foaly._

Holly stared unblinkingly at the ceiling of her bedroom.

Why had she done that? She had let her emotions build up inside of her until the smallest spark could ignite the bomb.

And now Commander Root and Foaly knew. Well, Foaly had known before, but now he _definitely_ knew.

Now they would both treat her differently; as though she were some fragile vase that could shatter at any moment. They would refrain from mentioning Artemis, and whenever he did come up they would both treat her with pitying glances.

Eventually other people would work it out too. And then they would all treat her differently.

Holly groaned. Why had she let it go this far?

Then she remembered. She'd never actually forgotten; just repressed the memory…it caused her too much pain to think about.

Before the Mind Wipe, Artemis had found Holly alone, looking out through one of the bay windows to the garden outside.

"_Holly." _

_She turned around at the sound of his voice, hastily wiping away the tears that had slid down her cheeks. "A-Artemis. Wh-what are you doing here? Shouldn't the Mind Wipe be about ready to go now?"_

_He walked over to her slowly, and sat next to her on the bench, looking at his hands. _

"_I- I don't really know how to say this…" he began jerkily, "You know I'm not great at…yeah." He cleared his throat. "I'm going to miss you Holly. Y-you've taught me so much, and although part of me regrets kidnapping you…another part is glad that I did. And not because of the money. If…if I hadn't kidnapped you, then I would never have gotten the chance to know you, and I would never have had the chance to become a better person. You changed me Holly. For the better. And I really pray that after this mind wipe I stay that better person. For two reasons. One…I like this me better than the old me. And two, I know you, Foaly and Julius will be watching me…and if I change back into who I was, you'll all know. _You_ will know. And you'll be upset. And I can't bear the thought of upsetting you."_

_Another tear slid down Holly's cheek, and he reached up and placed his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe the tear away. Once the tear was gone, he made no move to remove his hand._

_They looked into each others eyes for a moment, and then Artemis gently drew her closer to him._

_Their lips touched softly, the first kiss for both of them. It was not hard and passionate, just sweet and tender. Soft and beautiful. The perfect first kiss._

_Who knew that Artemis fowl was capable of such an act?_

_Artemis was the one to break the kiss, drawing back gently. He smiled at her. Not a smirk, or a grin, but a smile. It was tiny, and it was sad, but it was a smile. And it was just for her._

"_You'll always be here Hol" he said, tapping his temple lightly. "Even a mind wipe won't get you out of my mind for good. I'll remember you. I promise."_

_She smiled sadly back at him, her eyes damp. She had been crying, but she wasn't now. "I wish it were so Artemis. I wish it were so."_

Holly realised that she had raised her hand to her lips and that she had tears streaming silently down her cheeks.

That was it. She couldn't do this anymore. She had to see him.

Even if only for a second, even if he was asleep, even if it only served to upset her more.

She couldn't keep going on, pretending that he didn't exist.

She would die.

Her life and spirit would be hollowed out until there was nothing left and she died.

She had to see him, but he couldn't see her.

_And time makes  
It harder  
I wish I could remember_

_But I keep  
Your memory  
You visit me in my sleep_

Artemis was sleeping. As usual, he was dreaming of Holly.

The dreams had been getting clearer. He'd spoken to Butler about it, but things were going the opposite way for him and his sister. With each passing day the 'flash backs' were getting fewer and fainter. As time passed, it all got harder to remember.

But not for Artemis. He could only assume that it was, not to sound conceited but, because he had a genius brain, while Butler and Juliet only had average brains.

Artemis' brain had gotten an idea into its head (no pun intended) and was determined to work at it until the notion was proved or disproved. His brain was working hard, forcing him to remember something someone obviously wanted forgotten.

They should have known better. No one gets the better of Artemis Fowl.

Artemis could now see Holly clearly, and he name was no longer a guess, but a certainty. He could see every aspect of Holly as clear as thought she were standing in front of him.

There were a couple of things that puzzled him. She had pointed ears. He didn't know what to make of that. Something told him that they weren't fake, so he could only assume that they were a genetic malfunction of some kind.

Well, if that were the case, they were a very pretty genetic malfunction. They suited her face perfectly, and enhanced all of her other features.

The other thing he was confused about was her height. She was about a head shorter than him, but looked like an adult. She had completely adult proportions (not that he'd been looking or anything).

But he supposed that all would come clear as time went on, because if he knew his brain, which he did, it would not give up until it had weeded out all the 'false memories' and replaced them with the real ones.

Artemis stirred in his sleep. The dream was finishing, fading. Holly was walking away from him.

He called out to her, tried to get her to stop, but he found that he could only whisper her name.

"Holly…"

_My darling  
Who knew?_

Holly floated outside Artemis' window, not quite daring to go inside just yet.

It was snowing lightly, and everything was covered in a light layer of snow, but she was not cold.

She was shielded, no one could see her. But if anyone found out what she had done…

She steadied her self. She was always thinking about what other people would do, what other people would think.

It was time to allow herself a little selfishness.

Using one of the controls on her helmet, she scanned the room's outer wall quickly.

The diagnosis soon appeared. The room had one occupant, he was a male, and he was deep asleep. There were no recording devices of any description around the room, and there were no detectors. She knew she would be able to enter, because Artemis had invited the fairies into his house years ago, and had never withdrawn that offer.

Holly slid her fingers underneath the window and drew it up slowly. It did not make a sound.

Once the window was open wide enough for Holly to fit though, she did, sliding it nearly shut behind her.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around.

There he was, lying asleep on his king sized bed, a black and white bedspread covering him. He was breathing deeply, and was clearly dreaming, as his forehead was creased lightly as if in thought.

Holly smiled lightly as she walked over to his bed. He looked so innocent like this. You would never expect him to be able to kidnap a fairy for a ransom, put a stop to the evil plans of a crazed pixie or to design a computer that was far beyond the likes of anything ever seen.

He was so perfect.

Suddenly, the frown on his face deepened and he shifted restlessly. "Holly…" he murmured.

Holly's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. He remembered? No, he wouldn't remember everything. Just flashes of things now and then. But…usually even those fade away. They should have faded by now! He should, technologically speaking, have absolutely no memory of her or the People whatsoever!

Then she smiled. It was the first true smile she had smiled since Artemis had been mind wiped.

The Mind Wipe had only ever been used on people with average to low brain power. Never before on a genus.

Of course Artemis would remember. He would have experienced minor flash backs that most people would ignore. But Artemis had to know everything. His brain would have insisted that he work out what the flash backs were.

Holly smiled again. _We should have known…_ she thought. Artemis and his insatiable curiosity. He wouldn't stop searching until he either found something that described what had been happening to him, or until he remembered everything.

Again, Holly smiled; a big smile that lit up her whole face. He was dreaming about her!

Holly walked to the side of the bed and bend down gently until her lips came in contact with his.

At first, nothing happened. Then Artemis responded, ever so gently to her.

Holly's eyes opened and she drew back fearfully. Had he woken up? No. He had just responded automatically to her.

Relaxing again, she bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

As she drew back, he murmured "I miss you…"

Holly smiled, her hands still resting either side of his face and her face close to his.

"I miss you too Artemis."

There was a pause, and then he frowned. Holly moved back to the wall and checked that her shield was still in operation. It was. It looked like Artemis was waking up.

She moved quickly and quietly to the window, sliding it open.

Once outside, she turned around to shut it again, but Artemis was staring to sit up.

Leaving the window open, she took one last glance at him, before flying back off to the shuttle port.

When Foaly and Root would ask her the next day why she was suddenly so happy, she wouldn't tell them.

She would keep silent, resolving to wait until Artemis managed to regain his memories.

Then, Foaly and Root could know why she was suddenly so happy.

Artemis had kept his promise.

He had remembered her.

_I miss you _

After Artemis called out after Holly, nothing happened. Then suddenly he felt a warm pressure on his lips, and looked to find that Holly was back, and she was kissing him.

He was surprised for a moment, before he returned the kiss, just as gently as she did.

She pulled away, and, thinking that she was going to leave again, Artemis whispered "I miss you."

"I miss you too Artemis." Holly replied.

Artemis' brow creased. That sounded like…it didn't sound like Holly was speaking to him from a dream…it sounded like she was actually there, in real life.

Artemis urged himself to wake up. After a moment, his eyes opened and he sat up groggily, raising a hand to his lips.

He looked around, but there was no one in the room. Suddenly, Artemis noticed the open window.

There was a chill wind blowing through, making him want to curl up under the covers.

Frowning thoughtfully, he got out of bed and went to close the window. He was sure it had been closed when he went to bed. There had been snow expected tonight.

Once at the window, Artemis paused. There, on the window ledge, was a set of hand prints.

Artemis smiled.

"I'll remember you Holly. I promise."

_Who knew?_

OoOoOoOoOo

**There! Whatchoo think? It was longer than I thought it would be. ( Checks no. of pages ) Woah… WAY longer than I thought it'd be! 14 pages :0**

**Lol, tell me what you thought!**

**Lots of love, Bundi**


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